Modern Travel Etiquette How To Fly Without Getting Into a Fight
[0:00:00] So, I’m on a flight the other day from Kiev
to Amsterdam, and the guy next to me is oblivious to people around him.
First up, he's got this huge oversized backpack that he probably should have checked [sound
effect] and he's swinging around hitting people not even knowing it.
And, I get he's a big guy on a small plane, accidents happen. But, when he puts his luggage
away and he goes to take a seat, I'm amazed how rough he is with the seat in front. In
fact, he just grabs it and he takes his seat and he pulls it back and let's go and it pops
and there's this older woman there who's wondering what in the world is going on.
Now, the woman right next to her in her 50s, I assume it was her daughter just looks over
and basically reassures her, you know lets her know that, hey, everything's okay.
Now, what happened next came this close to becoming one of those viral YouTube videos.
You see, the guy gets up again and he grabs that seat in front of him and jerks it back
and forth as he pulls himself up. So that woman's daughter, she ain't having none of
this. She throws her hand back and smacks him.
Now at this point, things could have gone crazy, but they didn't. First up, she only
smacked him on the hand and it was a relatively weak smack at that. Second and perhaps the
most amazing part is the guy didn't even seem to notice. [sound effect]
All right. So, that's my story of an almost fight between two babushkas and an overweight
Russian tourist. I know anticlimactic, right? Here's the deal. I’ve been traveling for
30 years and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a passenger strike another. Gents,
it’s been in the news and anyone in the airline industry will tell you that people
are on edge. Seriously, if you've ever wanted to watch
a live MMA fight a mile above the earth, simply fly economy United Airlines Oakland to Chicago.
In today's video, gents, we're talking about modern travel etiquette, how to avoid getting
into a fight on your next flight. [Music]
Starting this video off, the best advice I can give you is to show up to your flight
in the right state of mind. For me personally, I find that I am in the right state of mind
when I have followed my routine starting the night before.
The first part of my routine is I’m fully packed 24 hours before my flight. This coincides
with checking in. If you're traveling with family, if you were traveling with more than
one person, if you've got a lot of baggage, this is key because what you don't want to
be doing is thinking that somehow you're going to pack right before you leave. That never
works out. Next up, I don't plan anything the night before,
except for a good night's sleep. Now, I know some of you guys are going to disagree, and
let me know if that's you down in the comments. You'd rather just stay up all night and party,
more power to you. But, if you are a professional if you're someone
that travels for work, if you're someone that travels with a family, I’ll tell you getting
that six to eight hours of sleep and then waking up refreshed for the airport is a lifesaver.
So, if I’m flying out early especially in a city that isn't mine, I always give myself
plenty of time for margins. So, first up, an hour to get ready. I’m going to shower
I’m going to eat breakfast. I never want to show to the airport hungry especially first
thing in the morning. And when it comes to commuting. So, Uber says
it's going to take 30 minutes, make sure to add 50% time for that. You never know, maybe
the Uber is not able to find you, maybe your car breaks down, tons of stories out there.
You give yourself that extra. You know, on a normal 30-minute trip, you give yourself
45 minutes. That 15 minutes could save you. Next, I arrived at the airport early and this
depends on the airport, you've got to understand the situation you're going into. International
Chicago, I’m there three hours early. Flying domestic, CWA right here in Wisconsin, a small
regional airport, I could be there 45 minutes early and it's going to be fine.
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The next part of my routine, I always get a paper ticket. Yes, I could use my phone
and I have used my phone. But, the thing about paper, it doesn't run low on battery.
All right. So, at this point I got my paper ticket, I take my water bottle then. I finish
the water in it. I put the empty water bottle in my bag, so I'm going to fill it up once
I'm inside the airport and I immediately go to the bathroom before going through security.
Now, why am I giving you all this information? No, I don't need you to copy my routine. You
can, I think it's useful. But, what I want to stress is that by having a routine, you
can control everything that goes on before you start to engage with people at the airport
and to have your mindset set, so that you are calm so that things are in control.
Seriously, gents, the vast majority of these airline incidents are when people are not
thinking with a rational mind. Why? Because they're irritable, because they didn't eat,
because they didn't get their coffee, because they're fed up. It's a thousand little things.
Something is prohibiting them from thinking clearly, from realizing, you know what? I’m
going to let this slide. It isn't even worth engaging with this person, I’m going to
move on I’m going to get out of the way. No, instead, they decide to confront, they
decide to push back and that's what leads to, yeah, you ending up in the pokey all night.
So, picking up at the security line, what's the first way that you can show respect to
your fellow travelers? By being prepared. Seriously, if you've traveled more than once,
you know what's going to happen during airport security. You're going to have to take off
all metals. Most likely you're going to have to take your shoes off, you're going to take
your jackets off, you're going to have to take your watch off. You're going to want
to make sure that your computer, that your liquids are removed from your bags.
You can actually pack things in a way so that it's easy to pull out that laptop, so that
it's easy for you to slip those shoes off because you were smart and you wore slip-ons.
As a guy with four kids, I’m proud actually when we go through security, I just clap my
hands and my kids know exactly what to do. Everything gets lined up, they're quick they
help each other. Yes, it is -- it's a miracle to behold.
Seriously, though, my kids are pretty good, my wife's prepped them, and I think because
other people are watching, they are on their best behavior.
Next up, you've made it through security, now, get out of people's way. I understand
that you want to wait for your bag. But, those bags right there are not yours that are coming
out immediately, let other people get around you to get their stuff.
It is something that you can step back. Just wait your turn. It is something that, yes,
you getting up there on the front does not make it any faster or easier.
Next up, let's talk about smell. So, I’m assuming here that you showered and that you
cleaned up and you are wearing clean clothes before you go on a flight. This, yes, is common
sense and should be common etiquette. You want to treat people with respect by not overpowering
them with body odor. But what about fragrance, what about smell?
Again, here's where I think you should definitely be discovered, not announced. I’m not saying
that you can't wear any. One, two sprays to the chest area, maybe one on each arm is perfectly
fine especially if you're layering with clothing over.
But, if it's a fragrance that's really overpowering, be careful. What you want to be careful of,
though, is going into the duty-free -- and I’m guilty of this -- trying out a new fragrance.
Wow! That's a little bit stronger than what I thought it would be.
So don't go in there and just start spraying on things immediately because, yeah, you don't
want to get on that plane and just choke people out.
All right. So, you've made it to the gate, you're waiting for your time to board, what
are the basic rules here? Simple, guys, stay out of people's way and don't take up additional
space that you don't need. So, staying out of people's way. Don't throw
your luggage around, don't let your kids throw the luggage around and create obstacle courses.
People need to be able to get around. And taking up space that, you know, okay,
I get it you're sitting in a chair, but that, you know, 75- year old woman that doesn't
look able-bodied, you are young and healthy could you stand up and give her your chair?
Be considerate of others. Look around, do you need to be standing up
there at the front? You and 50 other people all of a sudden people that just simply have
a question for the attendant can't even get up there or they think you guys are all in
line. Try to stay out of the way and try to give people space.
Now, once they started boarding, the airlines, you know, they love to divide us. Those in
economy, they like to make us feel really small. Point being is they've got a system
for doing this. And I get it if you're a platinum diamond star, you know, of course, you're
going to get to be the first one on the plane, unless you have special needs.
And this is whenever I’m traveling with kids, younger kids especially, I always will
just go up and make sure that they will allow me to board earlier, so that I can get my
kids on and this is just really makes things easy.
If you are having a health issue, if you simply need assistance, never be afraid to ask for
it. It just makes life easier for everybody. Now, gents, if you're enjoying today's video,
do me a favor and smash that like button. By doing that, the magic YouTube algorithm
is going to help more travelers actually find this video. And who knows, maybe people will
start to be more courteous and nicer when they're flying.
Now, as you're heading up to get checked in as you board, oftentimes you just need the
boarding pass. Sometimes they do ask for the ID, so I usually have mine handy, especially
if I’m traveling international or an airport I’m not familiar with. But, simply having
that boarding pass ready is key. [0:10:09]
Next up, make sure that you memorize your seat. So, 6B, you know where 6B is going to
be at, but it gets a little bit more confusing once it gets a little bit longer 36J, you
know not the easiest one to remember. Because here's the thing is once you get onto
the airplane, a lot of times, I get thrown onto the wrong side, I mess that up. Other
times, I have sat in the wrong seat. So, you want to make sure you keep that available
because you could find it somebody says you're there in your seat, you want to make sure
that you are in the right row. It's not always easy.
So, you know, be open, understand you may have to move slightly if you're in the wrong
seat, but just be open to that. It's -- no one is looking to be mean, people just simply
want to sit where they are assigned. But, again, if you're in the right state of mind,
you're understanding that, hey, everyone is just trying to get to the same location, we
want to get there safely. Now, once you've taken your seat, a lot of
people they simply want to throw in their headsets and they want to zone out. I do think
that you should keep them out because, first up, is somebody going to want to get in, are
you traveling alone, is there space here. I’ve actually seen it where they've had
to try to wake somebody up because they're already gone and they can't even get in. Other
times, is there somebody that needs assistance. I’ve seen so many moms with kids that simply
need help and people aren't even -- it's not that people are mean, it's just people aren't
paying attention. If you're an able-bodied person, get up and help that person. Put their
luggage away. Now, what about swapping seats? Family, friends
want to sit together especially families. I think this is always a great thing. You
do want to make sure that the airline attendant knows what's going on, so they can update
the manifest if they need to balance things out.
Sometimes the planes are not full and they want to make sure people are in the right
places, so that is important. Let's talk about armrest rules. So, the unspoken
armrest rule is if you are in the center, you get both arm rest because guess what?
You can't go anywhere, you're between these two people and you simply get both of those
armrests. If you're the window, hey, you can lean over
on the window. If you've got the aisle, well, you've got the aisle and you can lean out
a bit that way. Now, what if you're in between two people
that do not know that rule, in fact, they're both pushing you into the center spot with
nothing? I always like starting things off by having my arms there and then, other people
get it that I am laying claim to these. But, if they don't respect that, if they're
pushing back, it may be something, hey, you know, I’m here in the center, I don't really
have much room, do you mind if I have basically the armrest. And if they still don't give
it to you, it may be something you want to speak to the attendant and maybe even look
to move. And this takes me to one of the basic rules
of flight etiquette and that is to respect your limited space and to respect other people's
limited space. We're all on this small airplane together. We've got to make do for the next
few hours, so simply treat others with respect and most likely you will be treated with respect
as well. So, that means don't try to stick your bag
under in their foot area. Yes, they weren't there, you thought you were going to have
the seat, these two seats all to yourself, so you stuck it under there and guess what?
You're going to have to take it out and remove it and put it under yours because you decided
to bring that and it's not their issue. Simply say, “Hey. Do you mind if I keep
this there?” Most time, people are very nice especially if it's not going to be in
their way. Simply ask a lot of times, people don't seem to do that and you will find that
people are accommodating. They want other people to be comfortable.
Now, me, personally, I love sardines, I love tuna, I love hard-boiled eggs, I love salads
with vinegar on them, but what do all those have in common? They smell and they can really
just off-put people and they can fill a room. If you are packing a meal, pack something
that does not have a strong smell. I’ve talked with my wife about this because she
did it one time, didn't even think. She just wanted to have meals for the kids. I’m like,
“Well, those really stink and they smell.” I turned up all the air. I violated that rule
of simply thinking about others. I get it, you're hungry and that's why I recommend
that you eat before getting on the plane, not when you're in that confined space. And
sometimes, you know, the air is not working and that smell really can make somebody sick.
Now, what about alcohol especially international flights, it's free or just regular flights
and you want to pay for it, you want to have a few beers, a glass of wine? Well, in general
the, you know, the airline attendants, they should make sure that you don't get out of
hand. But, if you can't handle your alcohol, if
you've been having a tough day, if you have been frustrated, don't think, I mean, because
a lot of people think that alcohol is going to take the edge off.
What it does is it just makes you looser. It just makes you more likely to do something
that you shouldn't do, so be careful. In general, if you don't normally drink, if you don't
handle your alcohol well, definitely don't be drinking on the flight.
All right. So, the plane has landed, you've reached your destination safely, you're going
to be getting off the plane. But in what order are you going to get off the plane?
In general, the unspoken rule is based off of seat order and simply it's the easiest
quickest way to be able to file off. But, a lot of people, they want to immediately
rush to the front. And I’ve seen this actually on a number of international flights especially
over in Ukraine and parts of India, where people just rush to the front as soon as the
plane hits the ground. It's still taxing still, yeah.
In general, they make everyone sit. But I get it, people want to get off. Some people
have legitimate reasons, they want to catch their next flight and that's where I think
that really those are the people you should allow to be able to go up to the front.
If they've got to catch their flight, the flight is landing 20 minutes, 30 minutes,
an hour late and they still think they can make that flight, then let those people -- and
if that is you, maybe talk to people as you're getting up say, “Excuse me, I’ve got to
catch my flight. Excuse me, I’ve got to catch my flight.”
People can hear this and people sympathize. Give them a reason, they're more likely to
get out of the way. Just try not to be that person that is barging up to the front for
no other reason that you simply just want to get out.
All right, gents. So, did I miss? What is it that people need to be doing when they're
traveling that it's just going to make it easier for all of us? Let me know down in
the comments. All right, gents. So, what video to watch
next? Watch me stuff 180 outfits into one bag. Is it possible? Gents, find out in this
video right here. I’ll tell you, I do it and how I do it may surprise you. So, yeah,
good video, go check it out. [0:15:58] End of audio